title: [Protective effect of baicalin on experimental periodontitis in rats and its possible mechanisms].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of baicalin on the experimental periodontitis in rats, as well as the expression of MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, with 9 rats in each group. A nylon thread was placed around the lower first molars of rats, which were sacrificed after 7 days. Baicalin (200 mg/kg) was administered to the experimental group by oral gavage, starting one day before the induction of periodontitis. The negative control group received vehicle (0.5% carboxymethylcellulose) alone. The blank control group did not get induction of periodontitis. The alveolar bone loss (ABL) and the area fraction (AA% ) occupied by collagen fibers were assessed. MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein expressions in the gingiva were detected by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baicalin treatment significantly decreased ABL compared with the negative control group (P = 0.009). AA% of collagen fibers was significantly higher in baicalin-treated group than in the negative control group (P = 0.047). Baicalin treatment significantly down-regulated the protein expression for MMP-1 (P = 0.023) and MMP-9 (P = 0.042) and decreased the expression for MMP-2 (P = 0.099) compared with the negative control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baicalin protects against tissue damage in ligature-induced periodontitis in rats, which might be mediated in part by its inhibitory effect on the expression of MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Cheng-zhang
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zheng-guo
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Ge-fei
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Li-hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005881:Gingiva / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; C038044:baicalin; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases